Forgotten Kings
by CaptainCesar
Summary: Our main protagonists in this story are House Dragen, an old, noble and a rich house in the North, having arrived 1000 years prior to the Starks in the North led by Cedrik the Tall and his 1000 clansmen, they settled on a vast land surrounded by mountains and forest naming it Snake Mount, upon the arrival of Starks a friendship was forged that would last for thousands of years.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys this is my first venture in fan fiction, any criticism is welcomed as it will help me improve and grow as a writer,I will be making weekly updates so Chapter 2 is currently ongoing, and in the category section of characters I have decided not to include any but do not worry our favorite characters will be in the story but in support of my Self Insert Characters.**

 **P.S. The story is in alignment with the first season therefore the year is 298 AC.**

 **Please review, comment and do enjoy the story.**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **Garth POV**

"The fat King arrives in a moon's time" the Snake Lord said to his son as he places the parchment on the table. Eddard Stark had sent a raven notifying them of the King's arrival. Garth Dragen was a stoic man, never laughing nor smiling, he looked at his first born son Lucius, "Eddard Stark wants us to join him in welcoming Robert Baratheon to Winterfell, the Kingdom is in chaos and disarray yet he finds the time to feast and drink, a shame of what the man has become Lucius, a once great warrior has been reduced to a laughing joke of the realm".

It is not that he hated the King, Garth loved the man as a brother, yet Robert had become complacent in his duty as a King, he forgot the single most important rule in leadership, which was to never get comfortable, the realm was in debt yet he continued spending money, money the realm doesn't have. Robert's rebellion had brought chaos and madness all for the love of a woman. He took up arms and joined him in this madness.

Robert had killed Rhaegar at the trident effectively ending the rebellion. He had then left his army in charge of his younger brother Jaran, accompanying Eddard in search of Lyanna, whom they had found at the Tower of Joy in the Red Mountains along the border of Dorne. Lord Commander Gerold Hightower and Ser Arthur Dayne along with seven other Kingsguard were entrusted with the guardship.

The battle was fierce and in the end Howland stabbed Arthur at the back, Eddard had rushed to the tower and what we saw there broke our hearts, beautiful Lyanna lying on the bed drenched in blood and sweat, a babe's cry was heard and a dornish woman brought forward the child placing it in Lyanna's hands.

"It's a boy" she said, Eddard was grief stricken, "Promise me" she said "His name is Aegon, if Robert finds out he'll kill him. You know he will. You have to protect him, Promise me, Ned. Promise me". And in that moment we all knew what had happened, there should not have been a war, Brandon's brashness and eagerness got the best of him, this could all been have been solved with a little communication and lives could have been saved, instead the Kingdom was in chaos.

Eddard, Howland and I kept that secret, the boy would be raised as Eddard's bastard, people would find it hard to believe that a man as honest and as truthful as Eddard would do such act of dishonesty and betrayal. I took care of the dornish women so that there were no witnesses. Robert became King while Eddard was named Warden of the North and me the Lord Defender. Fancy titles, the North does not do titles we live it to our Southron counterparts.

Alyse was there when he had arrived from the war and she was distraught "When you left, Ser Cerran Harlaw left with Lucius, the master at arms had claimed that Lucius needed to be a man therefore taking him into the Wolfswood to go hunting, the boy went missing for five months only to be found at Winterfell. I am worried Garth, he rarely speaks and stays in his chambers" she had said. Garth had left a joyful boy and what he saw was a different person. Days became months and eventually into years, gone was the cheerful young boy and in his place was a cold man just like himself.

Lucius took his studies well as he was a Lord in waiting and once Lucius had turned eighteen, he had arranged a marriage between Lucius and Larrina Harrigon of Smithestone, the marriage was a blessing and Lucius started to show signs of his former self after the birth of the twins Warron and Melina. House Dragen and House Harrigon alliance became even more compact and loyal to each other as this was the second marriage between the two houses the first one being him and Alise.

The North had slowly recovered from the war yet it was privy to the intrigue and politics of their southern neighbors. "Kings Landing is a pit of vipers to the uninitiated" he had told Eddard, his brother Jaran had returned to Kings Landing to act as his eyes and ears. "Knowledge is power, if you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." He had told his sons.

As Lord Defender, his duty was that of military leader in the region tasked with the command of the military and defense of the region while Eddard would serve as the Warden, due to the vastness of the North region raising the military to its full potential was a hard task, his first task as Lord Defender was to assess the Northern military strength which had amounted to eighty thousand soldiers from sixteen houses which had a thousand or more soldiers, he had excluded both the Northern mountain clans and the Skagosi, he then proceeded in setting up military bases, ten of them to be precise.

After that he started to set up a Northern Guardswatch post from the remaining houses which had less than a thousand men, the Northern Guardswatch which composed of two thousand men would serve as a formal policing and protection unit in the North, dealing in scenarios such as thefts, bandit attacks, wilding attacks, arrest of murderers, rapists as well as deliverance of rations to the various military bases and much more.

War was coming he knew, but the north was prepared, alliances were made and the North was as strong as it could be, his only worry were the Boltons, dishonest to the core and untrustworthy and if it were up to him he would kill every single one of them and be done. But he had opted not to, for they had men and men were needed for the war that was coming.

Five years ago he had travelled to the Night's Watch with his son Lucius after Lord Commander Mormont had sent a missive requesting him to come and as Lord Defender it was his duty to attend to the matter. "Lord Dragen, you have my gratitude for attending to this matter and you as well young Lord Lucius, come to the chancery and we will break bread and salt before discussing the issue at hand" Mormont had said. "Ryon have the chambers prepared and make them as comfortable as they can be" Mormont said to his personal steward. Upon entry of the chancery we then proceeded with the tradition of breaking bread and salt.

"Lord Commander, how many castles are currently manned" Lucius had asked the Lord Commander. Mormont sighed before rubbing the creases on his forehead, "Young Lord, out of the nineteen castles only three are manned, Castle Black, Eastwatch-by-the-sea and the Shadow Tower, the strength of the Night's Watch has been dwindling through the ages, currently we have a thousand men in all the three manned castles and not all of them are proper fighters, though they are trained in combat, we have raw recruits, stewards and builders apart from the rangers who can be considered proper warriors and recruitment in general has been below par, less volunteers and more prisoners." Mormont finished. The situation was dire he had thought, a thousand men against hundreds of thousands of wildlings, if the wildings managed to breach the walls, what would stop them from pillaging and burning every part of the North.

"Not everyone wants to join the Night's Watch Lord Commander" Lucius continued. "The days of honorable men volunteering to join the Night's Watch are long gone. To them taking the black is a hindrance to their carnal behavior. Our ancestor Juran the Brave aided Bran the Builder in the building of the wall, it is only us and the Starks that understand the value of keeping the wall standing" Lucius had said.

"You need men to guard the wall, instead of quality Lord Commander I advise in having quantity, the wildlings have grown bold for they have seen that the sixteen castles are unmanned and they know that you don't have the numbers to go on an all-out attack, the dungeons of Westeros are filled with petty criminals let's say about thousands of them add that to the men you have and each of the nineteen castles will have at least three hundred men guarding it and the wildings will now think twice before attacking, for every tower assign maybe two rangers to lead the men and finally light the torches in every castle, let the wildings know that you are watching them, do you have enough weapons Lord Commander?" Lucius asked.

"No, young Lord, we don't have much" Mormont had replied. Lucius looked at him before continuing, "I'll have the castellan deliver you swords, arrows, and pitch Ser. Father and I will handle the issue as soon as we can, rest your mind at ease Lord Commander soon you'll have men and enough weapons for now do what you've been doing good Ser and hold the fucking wall" Lucius had told Mormont, the Lord Commander had a smile on his face, "Aye Ser, and may the gods be with you young Lord".

Upon arrival to Snake Mount he had sent a raven to his brother Jaran who was in the King's small council as Master of Laws to relay and discuss the issue with the King. It had taken a while but his younger brother was resourceful and cunning and was able to pull through, Mormont had asked for men so I gave him cutthroats, thieves and murderers in thousands as well as a few hundreds of dishonored knights, the castellan with the command of Lucius had delivered the weapons needed. Mormont had sent a raven thanking him.

As he sat in the great hall, Garth looked at his son Lucius, he had just turned thirty, a vision of his own, Lucius was a calm, calculated, smart and an excellent leader, a silent man and only talked when needed be, he was now ready to take over the mantle, just as his father had relinquished and stepped down to allow him to lead, Garth would do the same and he was ready, as soon the matter of Robert was to be completed he would hand over the Lordship to Lucius, he would not rest but the burden would be relieved. "Have the castellan make preparations for the journey to Winterfell Lucius let's see what the King has to say".

 **Lucius POV**

"Duncan, the King arrives in a moon's time, father and mother will be heading to Winterfell to welcome the King, make the necessary preparations" he said to the castellan. The twins came running, "Father! Father! Is it true, is the King coming, Warron overheard grandmother talking to grandfather as he was sneaking around as usual" Melina said.

"Is it true what your sister says Warron? Were you snooping around, I told you before son it's not a good behavior" he told his son as he picked him. He then proceeded to the courtyard, the news of the King's arrival had spread quickly, the courtyard was loud, he then saw his wife talking to one of the servants, he placed Warron down "Go on, and remember no sneaking around".

The twins had been a blessing to him when they were born, the first two years of marriage between him and Larrina had been quiet and uneventful, he rarely talked to his wife but Larrina on the other hand was gentle, loving and caring while also patient and then he had started opening up to her, she had broken down the walls brick by brick and he had laid his heart bare to her, twelve years later Larrina was his anchor and confidant, he loved her. "Hmm… what is it love, you've been staring" his wife broke his trance. He wrapped his hands around her waist and nuzzled her neck taking in the sweet scent of his beloved.

"Nothing much love, it's just that the twins are growing fast they were nothing but babes a while ago and now Warron is here sneaking and spying on people while Melina is being all lady-like and the next thing you know we will be receiving marriage pacts." Larrina laughed heartily, she looked up to him with her beautiful blue eyes and smiled "Well… you can't keep them young forever love, we have to cherish these moments we have with them" he sighed and kissed her on the lips.

"You are right, let's cherish these moments however little it is, father and mother will be heading to Winterfell to welcome the King, you should go and take the kids, it will be good for them, the only place they've known the entirety of their lives is here in Snake Mount". He told her. He saw a small hesitation in her eyes before she nodded and agreed with him, "I'll have Duncan add you to the retinue" he said to his wife before she left.

He had a lot of work to do as he went to his chancery where there were reports on his table, one by one he started reading the reports, and most of them were from the mines. You see Snake Mount was a huge land that had lots and lots of mountains and hills. Iron Ore was discovered at year 188 AC it was used in the mining of steel and production of swords that was as strong as Valyrian steel.

This had led to them monopolizing the business, all noble houses in Westeros had requested a yearly supply of fifty thousand swords to be delivered at an agreed payment of ten gold dragons per sword and the business had been a success which had yielded a total of twenty five million gold dragons from years 188 AC to 238 AC. They had stopped the sword making business in year 240 AC due to lack of interest in purchase and therefore stockpiled the remaining amount of a hundred thousand swords.

However five years ago an opportunity had arisen and a new market had opened in Essos, steel was in demand and in large quantities, the venture has been a success and was yielding a yearly gold return of a million coins, his second born brother Cedric has been staying in Essos for the past five years and was the liaison between them and the East. In 245 AC silver had been found in the mountains and mining had started, where the Lannisters had their golds in millions they had silver tenfold of that amount, the mountains were filled with them.

In 265 AC luck was on them when gold was found in the mountains and mining had commenced and by 280 AC the gold mountains had gone dry and the total amount of gold they had mined in those fifteen years had amounted to ten million dragons, their current vault of gold held forty million coins that was arranged in four hundred chests and each chest holding a hundred thousand coins, the gold was subject to increase in regards to the Essos export market.

Silver on the other hand, they had lots and lots of it and in term of richness they were the richest house in the North and only the Manderlys came in second, while the Lannisters and Tyrells were fancy with their wealth, they had never showed theirs. "All this richness is a blessing from the old gods therefore handle it with care and humility for a man's worth is not measured in his wealth but in his character" Father had told us.

There were five levels of vaults in the castle, the lowest level just above the crypts was where the gold coins was stored, due to huge amounts of silver coins the remaining four were occupied with chests of them, the vaults keeper was old Ortengryn, at the of sixty eight he has been the vault keeper for fifty years, his father before him had served for sixty years and only a writ authorized by either me or father would he release funds.

Father had told us that we were never a rich house, we were old and noble but never rich, and the sudden influx in wealth over the past one hundred and ten years was a blessing that the gods had bestowed upon us. His third born brother Domeric entered the chancery, "Brother, I bring news from the granary the rations are enough but with winter coming we need more, the merchants have increased the prices of grain five times the normal price, the smallfolk are holding theirs as well saying that silver doesn't feel bellies but food does, most northern houses have started piling up their reserves".

"Give me the rations of each granary" he asked his brother. "Fifty are full, twenty five are half and the remaining twenty five is at a quarter, as I said it is enough but enough is not good, we need all hundred granaries to be full, brother". Lucius sighed and rubbed his forehead, winter was coming and in the harsh snow getting food would be a problem, stock was needed and in full amounts.

A well maintained granary could take them at most two years while a fully stored hundred granaries could last for a very long time. "How much are the merchants selling for a whole stocked granary" he asked his brother. "Too much if you ask me, five thousand gold dragons for a whole granary to the major houses, three thousand gold dragons to the minor houses and a thousand gold dragons to the smallfolk, they are taking advantage of the panic and have hiked the prices, the smallfolk are suffering brother, most of them are turning towards King's Landing."

He smiled at his brother, Domeric was a good man, trusting and naïve but a good man nonetheless, he cared and that was a good thing. "That's how business is done, one man's suffering is another man's gain, we live in a world of cutthroats it may be seen as lacking of honor but what is honor when it comes to a man's stature, bring me Roderick he's worse but not the worst".

Domeric nodded and left leaving him to his thoughts, his eyes caught a parchment with the sigil of House Tully, his dear aunt Melina was married to Edmure Tully for thirteen years now in which they had three boys, Asher, Gareth and Malcolm. Aunt Melina had not been happy at first with life in the Riverlands.

Castle Helgen was a huge and bigger than Winterfell but slightly smaller than Harrenhall and the living conditions were top notch, the interior décor was filled with exotic items all from Essos, most Northern Lords used to tell father that we are a Northern house with a Southern lifestyle, Aunt Melina had everything here, trips to the Reach and Dorne to visit her brothers, finest jewelries and clothes as well as the finest wines from the arbor.

All that was gone when father had arranged a marriage between her and Edmure, she cursed and wept saying that father was condemning her to a life of misery yet she had grown accustomed to life in the Riverlands, so what was the letter about, upon opening of the letter he had realized that it was not from his aunt but rather from Edmure himself.

"Dear Lucius all is well with me and your aunt as well as your cousins, and I do hope that the same is at Snake Mount, I am writing to ask for a favor of you nephew, I would like you to loan me an amount of ten million silver stags as an investment to the Riverlands, I'll be happy to discuss the conditions of payment and return as well as favorable percentage of interest and nephew let this matter be between us. I wish you well nephew and do pass my greetings to the family". He was stunned, ten million silver stags, converted into gold dragons would amount to fifty thousand, a single man could live well on three gold dragons a year, and fifty thousand gold dragons could as well feed a small army.

The Riverlands was a fertile and rich land while the Tullys were by no means poor but the region is in disarray and disorganized, we have the Freys who are nothing but weasels and then we have the Blackwoods and the Brackens constantly at each other throats and to top it all the region has been a site of battles and conflicts all throughout the history of Westeros.

Let me give a scenario, if the folks in North manage to tick off the Southern folks, the Riverlands are raided and if the Southern folks tick off the Northern folks they also get raided, if the folks from the Vale tick off the Westerlands they get raided and if the Westerlands tick off the Crownlands they get fucking raided and every possible permutations I can think of.

And none of that even comes close to the regular floods, the infestations of plague carrying vermin, the routine raids by plundering Iron Born, rumors of ghosts haunting Harrenhall, the trade blockade that can be easily imposed by the Freys at nearly any time, living in the Riverlands means getting used to lying face down in the muck and only coming up for air only to be mugged before being set upon by disease ridden vermin. Ten million silver stags was not much so he'd give him. I need not know the purpose or the use. All I know is that Edmure will be indebted to me and he would call upon the favor when the need arose.

"Ethan!" I called my scribe an orphan raised by us, at age ten and four he was a quick and sharp lad who also served as his squire. "Draft a letter to Edmure Tully and write exactly what I say, "Dear Edmure, I have received your letter and as a husband to my dear aunt Melina, you are family and family never forsake each other, I will grant you the loan without the need of demanding interest, however the duration of payment will be discussed, the King visits Winterfell in a moon's time I hope I'll be seeing you there to discuss the matter, I will bring the money with me in a secret carriage in which I will entrust it to my scribe and squire Ethan, I wish you well Uncle" I finished.

"Have Duncan include me in the retinue heading for Winterfell", he told Ethan. He didn't want to go to Winterfell, it reminded him of what happened seventeen years ago, a past he had forgotten and locked in a deep, dark place in his mind, sooner or later it was bound to happen. "Before you go Ethan, write a bill of draft of ten million silver stags let me sign it then deliver it to Ortengryn, have him allocate the intended amount and tell him to load it a day before we leave in ten carriages.

And also tell Duncan to include carriages in the retinue but do not give him reason and when asked say I had commanded it". After Ethan left I had finished up on the final reports before retiring to my chambers hoping that the night would not be filled with terror long forgotten.

 **Winterfell**

 **Eddard POV**

Robert Baratheon was coming, Ned thought to himself he remembered the promise he made to his sister seventeen years ago, when he arrived in Winterfell with Jon in his hands the look Cate had given him broke his heart, she was cold and dismissive to him, his will and reserve had broken when he caught her crying while looking at Jon playing with young Robb.

"Why Ned, was it hard for you to curb your pleasures knowing that you had a pregnant wife at home, did Robert put you up, did he tell you to forget, that we are at war and a man can't be faulted for his indiscretions when he could die anytime, who's his mother Ned?, Is it Ashara Dayne?. Brandon told me you had fancied her or was it some whore you fucked", she looked at him, eyes red as the blood, her beautiful face was contorted in anger, "Tell me why Ned" before she started crying again, that was when his will broke.

"Forgive me Lyanna" he had whispered before placing his hand on her shoulder, she flinched from the touch, "What I am about to tell you must never be shared with anyone, promise me Cate" she looked at him before nodding her head, he had told her everything without leaving out any details, after he had finished telling her, she was silent for a while before standing up and leaving him alone in their chambers. She hadn't talked to him in a while, then one morning as he was going to the crypts to bring Lyanna fresh red orchids he saw her there staring at her statue.

"You should have told me Ned, do you not trust me Ned. When you brought that baby home from the war, I couldn't bear to look at him, didn't want to see those brown stranger's eyes staring at me, so I prayed to the gods to take him away and make him die, so when Jon was inflicted with the pox two years ago I knew I was the worst woman who ever lived, a murderer who had condemned a poor, innocent child to a horrible death all because I was jealous of his mother, a woman he didn't even know, so I prayed to all seven gods to let the boy live and I'll love him, I would be a mother to him, I would have begged you to give him a true name, name him a Stark, yet after he recovered and he looked me with those eyes, the hatred came back and I knew I couldn't keep a promise, I was a sinner and a blasphemer in the eyes of the seven gods, yet here I stand after everything you've told me, I ask you know in front of his mother Ned, let me love him and raise him as a mother, let Jon know the love of a mother and I also ask you to get rid of the name Snow, he has the blood of a wolf running inside of him, name him a Stark, Forgive me Ned for I had wronged the boy and you", she finished with tears in her eyes.

Ned had tears in his eyes also he closed the distance between them and embraced her tightly, both of them now crying "The gods know how long I have waited for you to hear those words from you Cate", he looked at her before kissing her, they both laughed. It had been twelve years and Jon was now a Stark by name, Catelyn loved the boy and Jon was jovial, happy and always smiling, Winterfell was a happy place. Robert was coming and he had sent a raven to Garth alerting him of the King's arrival.

Garth appointment as Lord Defender had lifted a weight of responsibilities off his shoulders, he was fostered at the Vale and it was Brandon who was taught Lordship, but with Garth it had been easier, Garth had been groomed to take over so he knew the responsibilities of being a Lord and he was his elder by ten years.

The North couldn't have been more united, with the riches of the Dragens and the Manderlys, trade was good and the armies were well fed and clothed, the military bases was an absolute peach of an idea from Garth, mobilization of banners and troops was made easier as well as the introduction of the northern guardswatch who would act as bailiffs, every house bar the Boltons were unified and under the leadership of both him and Garth.

The unification of the North was of utmost importance and they had alliances in the South, Garth married Alyse Harrigon of the Smithelands who were Lord Paramount of the Stormlands his siblings were also married to the South, his second born sister Elissa was married to Baelor Hightower, his third born brother Jaran also the Master of Laws had married Janna Tyrell, his fourth born brother Gerhard had married Allyria Dayne younger sister to both Arthur and Ashara and finally his youngest sister Melina married to his goodbrother Edmure, his son Lucius married to Larrina Harrigon niece to Alyse, his second born daughter Elena was married to Ander Royce. Alliances and pacts were made through marriages and so far they had ties to five regions, the Stormlands, Reach, Dorne, Vale and the Riverlands. The North was now a force to be reckoned with.

Two years ago when he visited Castle Helgen, Garth had told him that honor and trust in King's Landing were foreign words, "You are an honorable man Eddard, honorable men do not live long in King's Landing, I spent fifteen years of my adulthood in King's Landing, people apologize and once you turn they stab you in the back, people need to be told what they need to hear, King's Landing is like a cyvasse board, the different colors on the board reflect the different personalities you'll encounter there and people with different motives, while the pieces represent the people and the dragon being ultimate price which is the Iron throne.

"Do you remember when I told you that King's Landing is a pit of vipers to the uninitiated, well the cyvasse game is similar, it is best to study the game before you attempt to play it, how well do you know the game Eddard" Garth had asked him in which he replied "Well enough to play" Garth smiled at him before saying "But not to win, you are good enough to play but not yet good enough to win it, the game of cyvasse is similar to the game of thrones Eddard with enough practice you'll be able to understand it fully and conquer it.

"There are three main pieces in play when you want to win the game of thrones, the first being the smallfolk and the lowborn, most people especially in King's Landing ignore them, they are seen to be at the bottom of the ladder and no one notices them, they can be a powerful piece in the bigger play and with a little nudge and care they can prove to be dependable allies, the walls of King's Landing are thin and with the advantage of going unnoticed they learn much and knowledge after all is power Eddard. The second being wealth, war is expensive Eddard, and if you don't have much of it then the possibility of a success is at a minimal and the final piece is the army, military strength are forged through pacts and alliances, and if you have the three of those, other pieces will start to fall in place, having the support of the smallfolk, the wealth to sustain a war and the army to win a war then you are closer to winning the game of thrones" Garth had told him.

He was silent for a while after what he had told him, surely he was not planning for war, Garth had the money to finance a war, he had made alliances with the South, had his brother appointed to the small council and now here he was talking to him about the playing and winning the game of thrones, "Why are you telling me all of these Garth?, what are you planning, we have peace, we have finally recovered from Robert's war and the North is finally united" he had asked him.

"War is coming Eddard, the wheels are already in motion, there was never peace, what we had in the past fifteen years with the exception of the North was tolerance, peace is a lie Eddard, there is a lingering enmity lurking within the realm, the absence of war has lulled the people into a false sense of security. I am not planning anything nor do I want to start a war. War like winter, is coming and it is upon us forge our own path or be consumed by it" Garth had said. It had been two years now and still those words are fresh in his thoughts he didn't want a war he had already lost a brother, sister and father he didn't want to lose anymore as he laid in his chambers that night he went to sleep with a troubled mind.

 **INDEX**

 **HOUSE DRAGEN:**

 **Sigil:** A black serpent on a yellow background

 **Words: "Peace is a Lie"**

 **Titles:** Lords of Snake Mount, Lord Defenders of the North

 **Seat:** Snake Mount

 **Castle:** Helgen

 **Region:** The North

 **Current Lord:** Garth Dragen

 **Lord-in-waiting:** Lucius Dragen

 **Vassals:** Houses: Falker, Catell, Brewlan, Berrow, Mollen, Degore, Tuttle, Roylan, Sarsfield, Ashwood

 **Religion:** Old gods of the forest

 **Military:** 25,000 (Spread evenly between the ten vassal houses that serve as a military base)

 **Cadet Branches:** House Dragen of Maegor's Keep, House Dragen of Holthall and House Black

 **Founding:** Age of Heroes

 **Age:** 9000 years

 **Founder:** Cedrik the Tall


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry for the late update, I have been sick from viral infection, I am all good. This chapter contains one more POV, as always do read, review and enjoy. Thanks**

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **Jaran POV**

"I woke expecting to find my wife besides me instead I find the sheets cold absent her warmth" he says looking at his wife Janna who is now sitting on the edge of the bed. "I rose early to pray to the seven gods for you husband" she replies "Your bath has been prepared at the lavatory, once you have finished join me for breakfast". Once he was done with bathing and dressing he joins his wife at the breakfast table, "Darling, a parchment had arrived brought in by Luthor" she says before handing it to him, he places it besides him before continuing with his meal.

He has a long day ahead of him he needs to appoint a new chief gaoler and there was also the matter of Janos Slynt, the man has been evading him for a long time, as Commander of King's Landing City Watch, Janos uses his position to embezzle money from his men as well as unjustly arresting the smallfolk and then demands steep bribe to release them, he had the man a year ago when two guards had visited him complaining of the unjust behavior of their Commander, they had decided to act as witnesses only for them to murdered in cold blood.

"You eat like a man possessed husband slow down less you choke on your food" his wife says before handing him a glass of wine, "Time waits for no man, I have lots to do today hence the hurry. Fetch me Luthor I may have words with him" his wife nods before leaving, shortly after he has finished his morning meal, he picks up the parchment. _Is this it?_

And upon opening it reads ' _Greetings Jaran, I was able to get hold of the documents you had requested, you'll find it attached to the letter'_ finally some welcomed news. First he needs the Slynt issue to be solved as quickly as possible. Janos is Baelish's man and it will prove difficult to dispose of him, two of his witnesses have already been killed, he needs to approach and handle this matter with care. Footsteps were approaching and he looks up to see Luthor.

"Walk with me" he tells him as they leave his residence that is a few walks away from the Red Keep, it is one of the few houses within the vicinity of the Red Keep that the realm owns and would rent it to emissaries who arrive in King's Landing and would not want to be crammed in the Red Keep. "What news do you bring from Byran, is he willing to settle his debt before the arrival of dusk" he asks Luthor.

"He has named another whom he says he owes. He has requested to be given three more days to settle the debt." _Fucking Byran, the man borrows from him yet he continues to shit on agreement._ "What name does the man he owes carry" he asks. "Auster Norrey, a silk merchant who frequents Chataya's brothel". He stops and looks at Luthor. "Find this merchant and break words with him, find if Byran's tongue holds the truth" Luthor nods before leaving.

He arrives at the Red Keep before proceeding to his chancery, the first matter at hand is the appointment of the new chief gaoler. He has received offers and bribes from minor houses requesting him to appoint their kin, he always has performed his duties with guile and honor, upholding the realm's law and justice was of utmost importance therefore he needs men of trust and honor around him. "Forgive me for the interruption Lord Jaran but I would like to have words with you". Varys was there the standing and staring at him. _Fucking hell! Where did he come from, has he been standing there all the time?_

"Sure Lord Varys have a seat, how may I be of aid". Varys smiles at him, "It is the matter of the chief gaoler and I heard you were looking for one. I know of a man suitable for the position". _So the eunuch wants a favor, but why the chief gaoler, the position held no much importance._ "May I ask who the man is Lord Varys". He wants to know what he was playing at.

"Of course, the man is an old friend from Lys. He had arrived in King's Landing a few moons ago looking for work, he served as a freelance mercenary with the Second Sons for a while before leaving, I heard that the position of the chief gaoler was open and I decided to approach you". _A Lyseni mercenary who was also an old friend of Varys, there was more to this, he decided to play along._

"What name does the man carry Lord Varys", he asks. "Maronos Dirrohrin is his name". He looks at the man's face to see if he can get a read, he is good at reading people. He is now smiling at him as he always does and his eyes rarely blinks while the movements are subtle, his hands are crossed at the sleeves of his oversized cloak, the man is a closed book. "Hmm… tell Maronos to come see me tomorrow I will discuss stipends with him before he commences with his new posting".

Varys has a surprised look on his face, He stands before giving him a small bow in which he reciprocates and leaves. Now onto the matter of Janos Slynt, an idea had come to mind but it will require to be executed with a delicate touch. He leaves the chancery and heads to the small council, upon arrival he sees that all the members seated with the exception of the King.

"Lord Jaran graces us with his presence, we have been waiting for you good Ser". _Fuck you Baelish._ "Apologies fellow members, I have been attending to a matter of importance that required my presence". That got the attention of Janos, "What? You need help appointing a chief gaoler". Janos asks with a smirk, he sees Baelish smiling at him. He smiles back before looking at Jon Arryn.

"Forgive me Lord Hand, I had an unexpected visitors in my chancery today, two of the City's Watch guard came upon me to request to be given an advance of their monthly coin to feed their starving families and when I pressed upon answer as to why they needed the coin for they had just been recently paid, one of them had broken down in tears accusing our good commander Janos of taking a huge portion of their monthly coin while barely leaving them any, he also said they were not the only one facing this injustice from their superior".

"Lies, the men lie, tell me who they are Jaran, I will punish them for speaking against me" Janos shouts. "Lord Varys will attest to it Lord Hand", he says while looking at Varys. The eunuch is silent for a while looking at him, he sees the edge of his lips smile a little. "Lord Jaran speaks the truth Lord Hand it was a sad state of affair to see a grown man weeping like a babe". Varys gives him a slight nod of the head, _well played Varys, well played._ "Who are these guards you speak of, can they come forward as witnesses" Jon Arryn asks.

"You know very well what happened to the two witnesses I had Lord Hand. I have been sworn to secrecy. This is not the first we hear of this Lord Hand, I have been in this council longer than anyone here bar you, Varys and Grand Maester Pycelle, this sort of problem had not arisen when good Manly Stokeworth was commander. When I first brought up the issue with you, do you remember what you had told me?"

' _Janos had served as Captain of Iron Gate and now he is the Commander of the City's Watch of King's Landing. He knows the job well and no one is as much as experienced as him, what if he's corrupted? As long as he does his job and the King thinks that his replacement may be worse than him'._ Your delay in removing Janos has cost the lives of two men Lord Hand, every day as I leave my house I come upon the two wives of the men, demanding justice and as the Master of Laws it is my duty to uphold".

He knew what he was doing, neither wife of the men had been approaching him every day, but he was appealing to the emotional side of Arryn, he was a family man also. _Come on Arryn, Think of the poor wives. There! He knew that look._ "Commander Janos Slynt you stand accused of the crimes of murder and thievery, how do you plead" asks Arryn.

"Not guilty! Lies all of them lie, I will not have it!" Janos shouts and stands up, he looks at Baelish his eyes pleading with him but the snake Baelish ignores him. "Janos Slynt you will be stripped of your title and position and held in the cells as Lord Jaran brings forward forth the accusers". Arryn then looks at him "Lord Jaran do you have evidence of the murder of the two witnesses" he asks.

"Aye, I will bring forth once Janos is held in the cells". Jon Arryn nods at him before summoning the guards, Janos protests and shouts, but he is taken and imprisoned, the small council is dismissed but not before Baelish looks at him, his eyes betraying his intentions which were filled with contempt, Arryn has him stay behind. "Who are the witnesses Jaran" he asks.

He looks at Arryn before smiling, "There are no witnesses Jon nor were there any guards who came to me, the matter had to be solved quickly, the King departs for Winterfell a moon from now and I intend to replace Slynt, you and I know that Janos had the guards killed but there was no evidence, but I do have people who will attest to his corruption and thievery, I needed Janos out of the way so that he couldn't intimidate them. Tomorrow I will bring them forward and I need your word that he will be punished".

"You have my words Jaran that Janos will be punished for his crimes. I have been meaning to discuss an issue with you", Jon says before continuing, "I am old Jaran, the politics of King's Landing has become treacherous, I want to go back to the Vale and rest, raise my son and be a husband to my wife. I have discussed the issue with the King, at first he was reluctant but he had agreed on later. Out of respect he has for me he told me to choose someone whom I trusted as my successor, you've served in the small council for a long time, you have the experience and guile to lead. I therefore choose you Jaran as the next Hand of the King. You will assume your new position as soon as possible, the Kings lives for Winterfell in a moon's time and I intend on accompanying him before I head for the Vale, you are a quick learner I will hand you all reports concerning the realm so that you can be updated, I'll have my assistant send it to your chancery as soon as I inform the King".

He was shocked to say the least but also honored, Arryn saw something in him to know that he was worthy of being the King's Hand. The position will now make him the second most powerful man in Westeros, it is a position of power but he was not fazed. He was a Dragen, an old, honorable house full of history. Jon is now looking at him, expecting him to say something, "Apologies Ser you've left me speechless, it is an honor that you think me worthy of the position, I intend to serve with honor Lord Arryn that much I promise you". "I know you will Jaran and bring me those witnesses", he tells him. He gives the man a courtesy bow before leaving.

He comes upon Varys as he is leaving the Red Keep, "Lord Jaran, I would like to thank you once again for helping Maronos". "The feeling is mutual Lord Varys, you asked a favor of me and I obliged, you returned the favor by aiding me with Janos, good day Lord Varys", he leaves Varys and heads home. Upon arrival he sees that his wife Janna is entertaining some of her friends, there were two new faces among the group, "Luthor awaits you in the solar, and husband I'd like to introduce you to Lady Taryne Stanner wife to silk merchant Porter Stanner". "Pleasure to make your acquaintance Lady Taryne, pass my greetings to your husband and please do excuse me", he says before heading for the solar.

"Luthor, what news do you bring", he asks before taking a seat. "Auster denies any involvement with Byran, says the man has been shunned by other merchants due to his habit of borrowing of money and when it comes to payment, he has proven to be elusive". _He fucking knew. Byran was fucking with him well no one fucks with me._ "Have one of your men keep an eye on him, the man intends to flee the city, he intends to escape within those three days not to fucking pay my money, if he doesn't pay in three days take him to your home and make him comfortable I shall have words with the man".

"The matter of Janos is close to been solved, prepare the witnesses and have them ready I intend to present them tomorrow to the King's Hand. Byran and Janos are two loose ends that I need to tie as soon as possible one other thing, I need you to find about a man that goes by the name Maronos Dirrohrin, a Lyseni man that had arrived in King's Landing a few moons ago, find anything of importance and report it back to me, you are dismissed", Luthor nods before departing.

He leaves the solar and heads to main hall, the ladies were now leaving. "It's been a pleasure as always Janna, gratitude for the hospitality and to you too Jaran, have a lovely evening". Taryne says now looking with a smile on her face. He goes and embraces his wife breathing in her lovely scent before placing a chaste kiss on her soft lips. He then proceeds to sit down bringing his wife to sit on his lap, twenty years they had been married. They had been blessed with three children, his eldest son Aren at age nine and ten had just arrived from Essos where he was staying with his cousin Cedric and was now leaving in the Reach with his grandmother.

He had sent the boy there four years ago to learn and experience the world beyond Westeros. His second and third born daughters namely Lorenah and Myna have been leaving with their grandmother at the Reach for five years now, Janna and him did not want their children to live in King's Landing, every six months for the past five years they had been visiting them, the girls had grown up into beautiful ladies as their mother.

"I had received a letter from mother once you had left, the girls have been asking when we are to come, I have been thinking once the King departs for Winterfell we should go, stay a while. It's not that I hate living here but a breath of fresh is needed to wash away the stench of King's Landing" she tells him. "I am sorry love, duty beckons I stay in King's Landing, you can go and pass my greetings to the girls and your mother", he tells her. "What duty restricts a man from his family" she asks.

I smile at her, "The duties of the King's Hand. I am to replace Jon Arryn, the man had told me this morning of his desire to leave the position, he's discussed the issue with the King and as a parting gift the King told him to choose his successor". He told his wife.

"Jon has seen that you possess the quality to lead, some say why not Stannis or Renly, but Stannis has been secluded and staying on his island, not getting involved in the day to day running of the Kingdom. Renly has served as Master of Ship for a while he is a good man but he lacks the grit to lead, his time is spent distracted with my nephew, no one deserves that position but you", says his wife.

The posts of Masters of Law and Commander of City's Watch will be vacant and he needs to have people he can trust in that position, Luthor's cousin Jarrad Fossleworth has served as the captain of the East Barracks by the Dragon gate for almost fifteen years, he has the respect of his men and most of the City Watch see him as a man of trust.

The position of Master of Laws, Axell Florent is a man well versed with law system of Westeros and a man with lots of experience as well trust and honor, it would also strengthen House Dragen position in the Reach. He also needs to remove Baelish and replace him with Mace Tyrell, as Master of Coin the man would prove hard to remove but he knew things that no else did, his financial wizardry was actually loans borrowed in large amount from the Iron Bank of Braavos leaving the Iron Throne in heavy debt. He will discuss the issue with Jon tomorrow and hope that he convinces the King to make the changes. "Come let us go and eat before we retire to our chambers", his wife says to him.

The following morning he awakes, performs his morning routine and then heads to the living area finding the servants setting the table. "Good morrow husband, let's sit and break our fast" Janna says to him. They eat and enjoy the meal while discussing recent issues within the realm. "Say, how fares your brother Garth, last I saw him is when we visited Snake Mount three years ago", she asks. "Garth fares well love, Snake Mount is thriving, my nephew Lucius is handling things well, Garth has left most of the responsibility to him and intends to hand over the Lordship as soon as possible" he tells his wife.

After finishing his breakfast, he heads to the Red Keep with Luthor in tow, "The witnesses are ready, most of them are nervous but I have told them that it is in their best of interest", Luthor informs him. The witnesses were smallfolk who have been harassed and beaten by Janos. "Have your cousin prepare the guards who would like to serve as witness, inform your cousin that his presence will be required at my home after sunset, I want to have words with him".

Arriving at the Red Keep he heads to the Tower of the Hand, where he finds Jon going through some reports. "Good morrow Lord Hand, how fares your morning", he asks. Jon looks at him with a smile, "Ah, Lord Jaran good morrow to you too, I was just going through the morning reports". I take a sit and he hands me one of the reports. "Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen are making moves in Essos it is reported that she intends to marry Khal Drogo and bring the barbarian horde across the sea and into Westeros" Jon says.

"The Dothraki will not sail to Essos as they do not trust the salt water because their horses cannot drink it, and if they do cross we have the numbers Jon, they are not a well-organized military despite their combat prowess, they are vulnerable to archers and on the ground they are less effective against armored infantry, an example is what happened at Qohor, the Dothraki had prevailed in the first day of fighting though they had suffered losses of over five thousand men, the Second Sons and the Bright Banners fled the city and a reinforcement of three thousand Unsullied had arrived, three thousand Unsullied forces repelled twenty thousand Dothraki, twelve thousand Dothraki including their leader Khal Temmo and his sons were killed, only six hundred Unsullied remained. The Targaryens are not a threat but we have to keep sight of them and monitor every move they make".

"I would like to ask Lord Hand but where did this information come from?" he asks Jon. "Jorah Mormont has been spying on them and reporting to Varys, he is hoping to get the Royal pardon", Jon tells him. He knew that Jorah escaped to Essos to avoid execution for selling slaves but he was not aware that he was close with the Targaryens, so that meant that Varys hired Jorah as an informant and the King is aware of these proceedings but to what end, he will send a letter to his nephew Cedric and tell him to keep a close eye what is happening in Essos.

"Lord Hand, after the conviction of Janos and once I assume your position, the Commander of City Watch and the Master of Laws positions would be vacant, I may have a recommendation for you. Jarrad Fossleworth has served as a Captain of the East Barracks by the Dragon Gate for fifteen years now and is a man that many within the City Watch see to be just and kind I would like him to assume the position of Commander".

Jon nods and agrees him "Yes, I have known the man and have never heard anything of foul said about him, what about your old position, whom do you have in mind", he asks. "Axell Florent, as you know he is a man with vast experience and knows the laws of Westeros very well". Jon looks at him with a smile while slowly nodding his head. "I was right in my decision to name you my successor, both choices are well received I shall tell the King when I also inform him of his new Hand, I will be meeting tonight at his royal apartments".

"One more thing Ser, an issue that had troubled my mind for a very long time has been just resolved, for a long time I had doubted Baelish's means of getting money for the realm, sure he had made progress as a custom's officer but a Master of Coin is a different proposition, whenever the Iron Throne needed money he was there to conjure it out of nothing, but it was upon my discovery that Baelish had been borrowing in secret huge amounts of coin from the Iron Bank of Braavos", he says to him before handing him the documents.

He had suspected Baelish before but there was no evidence, his closest friend and trade partner Varella Pahratis a Braavosi, had arrived in King's Landing four months ago to visit him, one day as they were conversing in the solar he had asked, _'Good Jaran, six months ago my cousin Pinto who works as a loan officer at the Iron Bank had told me that a man from Westeros under the employment of the Iron Throne has been frequently taking loans and when I inquired he told me that the man went by the name Peter Baelish, are you acquainted with the man?_

That was when his suspicion had been confirmed, before Varella left for Braavos I had told him to let me know when Baelish makes another loan transaction, a month ago Varella sent him a letter informing him that Baelish had taken another loan, I sent him a letter telling him to talk to his cousin so that he could give him copy of the transaction documents, Varella came through and had acquired it thus the letter he received today.

"This is quiet troubling, the Iron Throne's loan from the Lannisters is public knowledge, but this is too much. Three million gold coins without notifying the Iron Throne, Baelish has overreached. I knew I should have never assigned him as a Master of Coin it was my wife's incessant appraisal of his work that blinded me. I leave you in a precarious position Jaran the Iron Throne is now officially six million in debt. I assume you want Baelish replaced".

I nod at him, "You are quiet right Lord Hand, I need men whom I can trust in the council and Baelish is not one of those, as a replacement my choice would be Lord Mace Tyrell, he may not be a great strategist nor a general himself but he has shown great judgement in delegating tasks to trusted and skilled subordinates it would also reinforce an alliance with the Tyrells".

"You are quiet right, you'll have to find a way to settle the debts Jaran, the Lannisters currently have power over the Iron Throne and we have granted them the ability to hold debt payment over us. These are good choices for the small council I think I'll be able to convince the King. Now onto the matter of Janos, are the witnesses ready?"

"Aye they are ready Ser, where would you like to have the trial", he asks. "The King is currently occupied so the judgement falls on me, you and I shall question the witnesses in the small council room, have it cleared and bring in the witnesses, I shall join you soon" he nods at him before departing.

Two hours later the witnesses were dismissed after giving their testimonies, "The Command of the City Watch falls under your bailiwick Jaran, I am giving you the right to choose his sentence" Jon tells him. He needs to teach Janos that those who cross him always find themselves face deep in the mire never to rise again, he'll wipe him from existence never to be heard off, forgotten in a long distant place.

"Send him to the wall, he won't live long and soon will be begging for death". Jon nods before telling the guards to bring Janos. "Janos Slynt, you had been accused of murder, corruption and thievery, upon hearing the witnesses testimonies we have arrived at a judgement. You are to be sent to the wall and serve the rest of the years as a member of the Night's Watch, your wealth confiscated and everything you own. Guards, escort Janos Slynt and have him taken to the North, hand him over to the Northern Guardswatch, and give them this parchment."

Janos starts shouting and making demands, "This is unfair! I demand a trial by combat, I will not have this! I will not!". "You are the son of a butcher, you hold no lands and title, you don't deserve a trial by combat and kindly do pass my greetings to Allister Thorne", I tell him before the guards take him away. "Now that this matter has been officially resolved, I will have words with the King tonight, I will send you a letter informing you of our meeting. Have a good day Jaran and pass my greeting to your lovely wife".

He arrives home to find his wife and Lady Taryne conversing, "How fares your day husband, I have prepared some refreshment for you at the solar and your monthly reports had just arrived, I have placed them in the solar" she says to him, he gives her a quick kiss on the lips and excuses himself. Entering the solar he pours himself an arbor red and opens the report.

They were the monthly reports that Varella sends to keep him updated on their business, he met Varella twenty eight years in Essos, he had just turned ten and seven and he had decided to go to the East and see the outside world for himself, he met Varella who at the time was three years his elder in Braavos and what transcended was decades of friendship and a successful business network, both complimented each other, Varella with his links and him with his business acumen and they built a trade chain all over Essos, he was a self-made man.

His riches were secret and no one knew of his involvement in Essos with the exception of his family, in those twenty eight years as a merchant he had accumulated a wealth total of ten million gold coins which was deposited at the Iron Bank, nowadays Varella was running the business and would send him reports on its progress.

Five years ago there was a high demand of steel in Essos and with Snake Mount's mountains filled with it he had procured the business contract between Snake Mount and Essos. His nephew Cedric was sent to Essos to oversee House Dragen's trade progress, Cedric's commission amounted to twenty thousand gold coins a month and the boy was good in handling the business.

Luthor interrupts his thoughts, "Ser, I have brought my cousin, he awaits permission", I tell him to bring his cousin into the solar room. "Jarrad, you have served well as a Captain for a very long time, Janos has been sent to the Wall for his crimes and the position of City Watch Commander is now vacant, I have proposed your name to the King's Hand as replacement and soon your fortunes will change for the better, I need you to perform your new duty with vigor, trust and honor, I need the men well trained and equipped and ready to follow commands, are we clear?" he asks.

"Aye Ser, clear as it can be. Janos has mellowed the men, I will put them in shape and turn them into proper soldiers and they will be at your command Lord Jaran, although we may need proper armors and weapons". He waves at the man, "Have less worries Jarrad, if it is weapons and armor you need you shall have it, until then keep hold of your tongue, you are dismissed". Jarrad leaves them alone. "Visit Tobho Mott and inquire about the costs of forging armors and weapons to the City Watch and report back", he tells Luthor, the man nods before bowing leaving him to his thoughts.

Things were falling into place. War as Garth had always been saying is coming. Enemies were coming approaching from every direction, the Targaryens from Essos, the Lannisters from the Westerlands, the Greyjoys from the Iron Islands, the Martells from Dorne, the Boltons in the North and the Wildings beyond the Wall. The Kingdom needed to be united against these foes, Robert was drunkard, whoring fool who would drive us into the abyss and he needed to set things in order. As the King's Hand it would give him the power steer the realm into the right direction.


End file.
